Archive By Author - Bill Murphy

I'd always thought that a subdivided region for football in Region 7-AAA wasn't the most efficient model to follow. Using last year as an example, it's clear that the four best teams weren't sent to the state playoffs. That, and it essentially makes games in the first half of the season irrelevant.

I couldn't help but find myself in a bit of a lull for the opening of the high school football season last Friday night. Not to take anything away from the games that were played in the area, but there really weren't any compelling matchups, with the exception of Jefferson against Commerce.

The anticipation for the start of the high school football season is particularly high this season. That's a credit to coaches, players and teams that have turned football in Northeast Georgia into some of the best in the state.

Last-second drama surrounding National Signing Day may be a lot of fun for college football fans to watch but it's entirely unnecessary. Waiting anxiously to see which school an 18-year old football star is going to choose may be the equivalent of a soap opera for grown men, but there's a solution to take all the suspense out of this entirely overhyped process: an early signing period.

Flowery Branch High's football team should feel the support of all high school football fans in Hall County. The Falcons (12-2) have a chance Saturday night to become the first school in the county's history to bring home a GHSA state title in football.

Playing football at Flowery Branch in the postseason means packing some patience for a long road trip. It means playing in a hostile environment. And it means entering as the lower seeded of two teams.